2014/03/13 H2020 Initiative - finalising the mid-term review

The mid-tem review of the H2020 Initiative shows some progress that has been made towards de-polluting the Mediterranean. But there is still a lack of information to make the assessment complete, - reveals the H2020 Mediterranean report.

At the H2020 Steering Group meeting and Stakeholder Conference, taking place in Amman, 10-12 March 2014, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has presented key messages and main recommendations on the de-polluting measures for the Mediterranean Sea. EEA put for discussion the highlights from the forthcoming review report, which is currently being finalised.

The Review process of the H2020 aimed to design a coherent indicator process and framework for a regular indicator-based analysis to compare and measure progress. The EEA/Eionet experience in providing indicator-based assessment on the state of environment contributed to the scoping of the H2020 challenges. The identification of six indicators and putting in place initial data flows were structured around coastal areas, coastal hydrological basins and hot spots.

The key messages touch upon the major drivers of environmental changes in the Mediterranean region and their implications on the protection of the marine environment. They are structured around thematic assessments of the three H2020 priority areas (waste water and sanitation; solid municipal waste; and industrial emissions) developed on the basis of the data and information reported by the South Mediterranean Partners countries. The recommendations cover some existing shortcomings structured around the three components of the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS): content/knowledge base, infrastructure/dataflow and cooperation/governance.

The document presented in Amman is the contribution of the EEA and UNEP/MAP to the review and monitoring processes of the Horizon 2020 Initiative (H2020), also supportedby the ENPI-SEIS project.

The report will be presented at the Union for Mediterranean Ministerial meeting on Environment and Climate Change, 13 May 2014 in Athens.